After taking two days off of practice this week, Northwestern is set for its final away game of the season.
The No. 19 Wildcats (8-3-3, 1-1-1 Big Ten) travel to University Park, Pa., to face the No. 13 Nittany Lions (9-3-1, 4-0-0) for a match that could determine the regular season conference champion.
“If (Penn State) wins, they win the Big Ten Championship,” coach Tim Lenahan said.
NU won a share of the conference title last year and won the championship outright the year before. With only three Big Ten games remaining on their schedule, the Cats will need a win to keep their title hopes alive. That victory won’t come easy against the motivated Nittany Lions.
“They’re a very cohesive group that believes,” Lenahan said. “We have to understand that when we step on the field, it’s going to be senior day for Penn State.”
Having not played since Oct. 20, NU has been trying to turn the extra time off into an advantage. After three consecutive overtime draws over a span of eight days, Lenahan canceled practice Monday and Tuesday.
“It was a long, very difficult grind,” he said. “But they’re excited to be back on the field.”
The team will once again rely on its backup goalkeeper sophomore Zak Allen. Starting goalie junior Tyler Miller will miss his second consecutive game due to illness, Lenahan said. Allen performed well in the Cats’ last match, recording his first career shutout in the 0-0 draw.
The goalkeeper battle figures to be a key part of the game. Opposite Allen is Penn State’s netminder Andrew Wolverton, a three-year veteran who has played every minute in goal for the Nittany Lions this season. Allen will only be making the second start of his collegiate career.
Lenahan stressed the importance of veteran players, especially seniors, in games like these.
“This is why you win or lose, based on the performance of your seniors down the stretch,” he said. “No other reason besides that. The last couple years, if you look at our success … it’s all about your seniors right now. You have to have complete trust in them, and we do.”
Fifth-year senior midfielder Chris Ritter, the team captain, will have to step up for an NU team that has struggled on offense lately. Ritter excelled last season with five goals and six assists and has continued to be productive this fall with four goals and three assists so far.
The Cats have only two scores in their past four games. Sophomore forward Joey Calistri, who leads the team and the Big Ten with 10 tallies this year, has not found the back of the net since Oct. 2 in a 3-2 loss to Bradley. Penn State will be countering with a very balanced attack — three different players each have three goals this fall.
In spite of the recent challenges, Lenahan still has NU focused on a Big Ten championship.
“They’ve had a lot of success,” he said. “Even though we were co-champs last year in the regular season, we still have the title belt. … We have to play with that champion’s heart: This is ours, and somebody has to come take it away from us.”
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